MACC arrests Najib over 1MDB audit report
The former prime minister was arrested at about 11am after going to the MACC headquarters for questioning.
PETALING JAYA: Former prime minister Najib Razak has been arrested by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in connection with claims that the 1MDB audit report was tampered with.
Najib, who was at the MACC headquarters for questioning, was arrested at about 11am.
An MACC source said the Pekan MP might be freed this evening if he settled his bail.
The source added that Najib was being investigated under Section 23 (1) of the MACC Act 2009.
Najib was first called in for questioning over the report on Dec 6, when he was grilled for about four hours.
This followed Auditor-General Madinah Mohamad’s statement last month that amendments were made to the audit report on the investment arm on orders from Najib and his former principal private secretary Shukry Salleh, among others.
In her statement dated Nov 24, Madinah also said the mention of businessman Low Taek Jho’s presence at a 1MDB board meeting and a paragraph containing two versions of the 1MDB financial statement for the year ended 2014 were removed.
Najib, who is also former finance minster, and ex-Treasury secretary-general Mohd Irwan Serigar Abdullah, presently face six charges of criminal breach of trust (CBT) amounting to RM6.6 billion.
Najib also faces 21 money laundering charges and four charges of power abuse linked to 1MDB.
In addition, the Pekan MP faces three charges of CBT and one for abusing his power in the transfer of RM42 million of SRC International funds into his bank account.
He has also been charged with three counts of money laundering related to the same transaction, under the Anti-Money Laundering, Prevention of Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001.
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He has pleaded not guilty to all charges against him.